Skip to content
etf.net

Launched · SEC filings

iShares MSCI South Africa ETF

EZANYSE ArcaiSharesB

$62.93+1.15 (+1.86%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

B61/ 100

Rank 5 of 22 in Emerging Markets Single Country

B61/100Rank 5 of 22inEmerging Markets Single Country
Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 61.78 to 62.93. Range 62.93 to 63.70. Use the arrow keys to read each point.62.0062.5063.5010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.59%
Fund size
$439M
1Y total return
+6.3%
Yield · Last 12 months
8.02%
Holdings
31
Avg volume · 30D
164K sh
52W range
low $60.27high $81.76
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net EZA Grade

B

Score 61 out of 100

Category
Emerging Markets Single Country⁠
Rank
5 of 22
Six-pillar profile for EZA. Scores out of 100: Cost 50, Risk 41, Mission 69, Tradability 80, Holdings 76, Durability 71. Strongest: Tradability (80). Weakest: Risk (41). Leans toward Tradability and Holdings.

Score 61 of 100 falls in the B band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    C50 out of 100
    Rank 7 of 22

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    B69 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 22

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C41 out of 100
    Rank 17 of 22

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A80 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 22

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A76 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 20

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A71 out of 100
    Rank 6 of 22

Our read on EZA

ETF.net Research

In short

BSince 2003, the plain US-listed way to own the Johannesburg market: about 27 large and mid-cap South African stocks, with index caps keeping any one corporate group from taking over the portfolio.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to track an index made up of South African equities.

Why people hold it

  • Listed since 2003, it is the long-running US-listed pure play on South African equities: one ticker instead of a pile of Johannesburg listings and ADRs.ishares.com
  • The 25/50 index rules cap any single company group at 25% of the index and hold all 5%-plus groups to 50% combined, so no one Johannesburg giant can swallow the fund.msci.commsci.com 2
  • The index targets the large and mid-cap core of the market, roughly 85% of South Africa's free-float value. You get the country's benchmark, not a stock picker's guess.msci.com
  • At 0.59% the fee sits right at the median for single-country emerging-market ETFs, and the fund stands among the stronger implementations in that group.

Worth knowing

  • Around 27 holdings, with miners and financials doing most of the work. Concentration is the whole point of a single-country fund, and it cuts both ways.ishares.com
  • The stocks trade in rand, the fund reports in dollars. Currency moves ride along with the share prices, in both directions.ishares.com
  • 0.59% is normal for a single-country fund but well above broad emerging-market index funds, and cash comes back once or twice a year, not quarterly.

EZA Performance

Launched Feb 3, 2003

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

EZA$10,631
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,146
Oct 31, 2025 to Nov 2, 2026. EZA $10,631. SPY $11,146. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000$13,000Oct 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 2, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for EZA. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodEZA
Year to date−6.6%
1 month−0.4%
3 months−1.1%
1 year+6.3%
3 yearsper year+23.9%
5 yearsper year+11.1%
10 yearsper year+7.2%

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for EZA
YearReturn barEZA
2026 YTD−6.6%
2025+75.2%
2024+7.3%
2023+1.5%
2022−5.1%
2021+7.9%
2020−5.2%

EZA in the news

EZA Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Nov 2, 2026.
8.02%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$5.05Last 12 months
Last payment
$1.43 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Twice a year

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 19 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Jun 20, 2017 $0.47; Dec 19, 2017 $0.62; Jun 19, 2018 $0.86; Dec 18, 2018 $1.07; Jun 17, 2019 $1.31; Dec 16, 2019 $8.67; Jun 15, 2020 $0.65; Dec 14, 2020 $1.77; Jun 10, 2021 $0.49; Dec 13, 2021 $0.46; Jun 9, 2022 $1.00; Dec 13, 2022 $0.66; Jun 7, 2023 $0.68; Dec 20, 2023 $0.51; Jun 11, 2024 $0.63; Dec 17, 2024 $2.42; Jun 16, 2025 $0.63; Dec 16, 2025 $3.61; Jun 15, 2026 $1.43. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Jun 15, 2026Jun 22, 2026$1.43
Dec 16, 2025Dec 22, 2025$3.61
Jun 16, 2025Jun 23, 2025$0.63
Dec 17, 2024Dec 20, 2024$2.42
Jun 11, 2024Jun 17, 2024$0.63
Dec 20, 2023Dec 27, 2023$0.51
Jun 7, 2023Jun 13, 2023$0.68
Dec 13, 2022Dec 19, 2022$0.66
Jun 9, 2022Jun 15, 2022$1.00
Dec 13, 2021Dec 17, 2021$0.46
Jun 10, 2021Jun 16, 2021$0.49
Dec 14, 2020Dec 18, 2020$1.77

See all 42 payments⁠

$10,000 in EZA 10 years ago paid $5,413 in dividends.⁠

EZA Risk

Risk pillarC41 out of 100Rank 17 of 22 in Emerging Markets Single Country
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
22.2%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.92
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−34.9%
Trough Oct 2022
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.12
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

EZA Cost

Compare EZA and FLMX

Overpaying vs FLMX, cheapest in Emerging Markets Single Country

$7,683

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • EZA 0.59%

    $11,635

  • FLMX 0.19% Cheapest

    $3,952

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • EZA 0.59%
  • FLMX 0.19%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530EZA $11,635FLMX $3,952

Year by year

YearEZAFLMXOverpaying
10$1,058$347$711
20$4,051$1,351$2,700
30$11,635$3,952$7,683

Other funds in Emerging Markets Single Country

See others